Chapter 28 - Naia
In a way, the silence Hayes leaves behind feels louder than the fight, and for a long moment, I don’t move. I can’t bring myself to.
Instead, I just stand there, staring at the space where he disappeared, my chest rising and falling a little too fast. My pulse still echoes in my ears, and I find myself playing back the exchange over and over again in my mind.
He’s gone. He actually left without jumping headfirst into something he couldn’t win.
I swallow around the lump in my throat and try to come to terms with that fact.
It’s very seldom that he backs down from anything, and yet, he did.
After standing my ground and receiving backup from Zane and the others, he actually listened. The realization settles slowly like something my body doesn’t quite know how to process yet.
I said no, and the world didn’t end. The pack didn’t turn on me, and I wasn’t dragged back against my will. I wasn’t forced into place and made to carry out his plans again.
My stomach twists, and for a long moment, I expect something else to follow. Instinctively, my body braces for the punishment or a consequence for not complying. I wait and wait, but nothing comes.
Instead, the clearing is quiet, and one word settles into my mind.
Freedom.
It hurts in a way I never expected it to, yet it’s more satisfying than I ever could’ve imagined.
For so long, I pushed the things I didn’t want to address to the side, like my father and his expectations, along with how I was raised and used for his benefit. I let it all happen rather than creating my own change, and now that Hayes has backed off, I can see the bigger picture.
I really was blind to it all. I believed what I was told and defended my indoctrination at every turn. I built my identity around it, but I know just how wrong it all was.
The weight of it all presses down on me, and for a moment, it feels like I might buckle under it, like I don’t know how to carry it, or how to reconcile the person I was with the one I’m trying to be now.
Before I can get too lost in it, I feel Zane move subtly beside me. I don’t look at him right away, but I sense him through the bond and the space between us.
He’s here, solid and comforting just like he always was, and my pulse gradually levels out from his presence alone.
With a slow, steadying breath, I turn to him and find him already watching me with a quiet reverence.
“Naia…” he murmurs, voice cuts through the quiet, drawing the attention of the others.
I tense instinctively out of habit, but I don’t step back or shut down. I face him instead, watching as he steps closer and holds my gaze before gently collecting my hands in his.
Zane looks at me now like I’m the center of everything, as if I could do no wrong. His eyes still search my features, softer now.
Rather than speaking out loud, he reaches me through our connection.
You did beautifully…more so than I ever gave you credit for.
To that, I soften, but I can’t find the words that convey the depth I feel. I did what I had to.
No, he starts, voice like a gentle caress in my head. You chose. Without me standing in your way, or anyone else, you decided, and you handled that better than most would have. I admire that.
Everything he says hits me hard enough to make my thoughts jumble, not used to hearing such genuine praise from anyone.
His grip on my hands tightens in a gentle squeeze. You stood your ground against them and Hayes. If you really meant what you said, then stay…stay with me. Don’t return to that place.
I wasn’t planning to. I return to him, noting how my heart clenches.
The corner of his lip twitches. Good. I don’t want to miss you a second time.
Before I can stop myself, I give him a small smile in return as the emotions well up inside me. I’m not used to any of this, but I don’t hate it. Not when it’s him.
Exchanging another look with me, Zane turns to address everyone while keeping his gentle hold on me. “The rogue group we’ve been chasing is gone now, and their operation is finished. We’ll keep tabs on anyone they might be connected to, but for now, the threat is gone.”
The others around us nod with their murmurs, all relieved at the prospect. Zeke exhales while the others inspect the scene, surely already thinking about cleanup before any humans can stumble upon the mess.
“I have many people to thank for helping bring them down, but first, I need to do something I should’ve done a while ago,” Zane begins, looking around at the others before facing me again.
His attention becomes more focused on me, and my pulse picks up slightly in response.
“If you’ll accept it, I want you to join this pack officially…
both as my mate and Luna. Like most in this pack, you’ve decided to walk a different path despite the one laid out for you.
You know what it’s like firsthand, and you chose to fight for yourself anyway.
You belong here just as much as anyone else, Naia. ”
My heart squeezes as I digest it all, and that title lingers in my mind.
Luna.
Not an Omega, or something secondary. His equal.
My head struggles to catch up as I stare at him, then I glance around, waiting for pushback from the others. I anticipate resistance, or someone reminding him of who I am and where I came from. But nobody does.
Instead, the others look like they’ve been expecting this to happen, one way or another.
When I look back at Zane, my heart softens.
“What do you say?” he asks lightly, giving me the choice.
For once, the decision feels clear and free from any traps or consequences.
“I’ll stay,” I say, quieter than intended, but still just as steady.
At that, Zane smiles and nods before gently guiding me closer. “Good…welcome home.”
The emotions swell inside me the moment his arms wrap around me in a warm, solid embrace that betrays just how much all of this means to him, and I sink into it without thinking twice.
A few encouraging words and claps from the others around us instill me with even more faith in this decision. I catch Zeke and Dominic whoop while the others chuckle, and it makes a bigger smile crack across my face.
All the while Zane holds me, I feel as the old motivations I was gripping onto so tightly gradually ease away.
The need for revenge and the constant drive to prove myself to people who never cared in the first place fade, and while it’s not entirely gone, it’s too small to control me now.
I don’t need it anymore, not like I thought I did.
When he pulls back just enough to look down at me, I catch that look in his eyes that would make anyone wonder what happened to the real Zane. Luckily, I’ve known this part of him for a long time.
For once, I don’t fight the warmth there, or his obvious want to keep me close. I need it just as much now.
The kiss he places on my lips is slow and gentle, like a quiet claim that doesn’t require a full ceremony.
We both choose to ignore the others, savoring it despite how briefly it lingers. When we pull back, I register the unfamiliar presence still with us, and I glance behind me.
Rhea’s still standing where I left her, looking like she doesn’t quite know what to do now that everything’s over, and now that no one is threatening her. By all means, she’s free, but doesn’t move.
I move toward her without thinking. “It’s okay, Rhea…they’re gone now.”
She blinks at me as if the words don’t quite register. “I…”
I recognize that look all too well, and it stirs more empathy in me. I soften my voice for her. “You’re not with them anymore. They can’t touch you.”
Her gaze flicks around the clearing at the bodies, the other wolves, then back to me. She swallows hard. Briefly, something unspoken passes between us that borders on understanding. We’ve shared a similar experience, just under different circumstances, and that feels like enough to connect us.
Behind me, I hear movement, and Zeke steps in first. He keeps his expression open and unthreatening.
“We’re going to need to ask you a few questions,” he says, not unkindly. “About the others and anyone else they might’ve had.”
Rhea tenses, but I offer her a hand.
“They’re not going to hurt you,” I say. “I can stay with you, if it helps.”
She hesitates at first, then nods and looks a little more relieved. It’s a start, and in all honesty, that’s what all of this feels like.
***
Later, after the situation has been handled and Rhea has given the guys as much information as she can, I find myself standing a few feet away from Sera back in town, just outside the house.
She’s holding Fern and rocking her gently to keep her from fussing while the sun sinks low and a warm breeze tousles her hair. Her attention is focused entirely on the small bundle in her arms that squirms every once in a while.
For a second, I consider walking away and leaving her to it. It would be easier and safer, but I don’t. I step closer instead and muster up the courage.
“Sera.”
She looks up, and her expression hardens almost instantly, with a similar guarded edge… understandably so.
“I meant what I said before,” I tell her with nothing short of sincerity. “About being sorry.”
The words feel more real now, since I actually understand what I’m apologizing for, and just how necessary it is.
She studies me for a long moment, both measuring my words and the intent behind them. It goes on long enough to make me question if she’ll respond at all, then she murmurs, “I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”
“I don’t blame you.”
As much as I don’t want to feel that heat anymore, I know she has every right to it. I made her life hell before, even when I could’ve chosen differently. I see just how much that hurt her now.
“But…” Sera continues, her grip on Fern relaxing a bit more. “That doesn’t mean I won’t get there one day.”
Unexpectedly, something warms in my chest. “That’s all I can ask.”
She nods once, then looks back down at Fern with a gentle smile, and I take that as my cue.
The conversation ends there, but it doesn’t feel like a failure. Rather, it feels like progress, and it leaves me more hopeful.
Stepping back, I give her space and glance over to see Zane talking with the others, looking more relaxed now.
For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like I’m standing on the outside of everything. I don’t feel like I have to fight just to exist. And for once, I’m just me.
As simple as that sounds, it’s enough to feel worth everything it took to get here.